NORTH BELLPORT, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — Police on Long Island were seeking as many as five suspects who allegedly tried to break into a house Thursday afternoon. One of them shot and killed a dog, cops said.

Four or five men tried to get into a home on Montauk Highway in North Bellport around 3:30 p.m., police said. Four adults were home at the time, and some of them tried to push the door back – prompting the suspects to spray them with a chemical substance, police said.

As the victims were shutting the door, the family dog raced out, police said.

The suspects shot the dog with a small-caliber handgun and ran off, cops said.

The dog, an 11-year-old, three-legged female pit bull named Sarah, died from her wound, according to police.

The suspects did not steal anything, authorities said. All of them had their faces partially covered, police said.